


Welcome To Vocaloid!

by Oo_Maika_oO



Category: Vocaloid
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2018-11-14 18:36:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11213877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oo_Maika_oO/pseuds/Oo_Maika_oO
Summary: You are the newest addition to the Vocaloid household, but as a faulty one. Your voice charms only a few compared to the others before you.However, the others remember their pasts; you remember nothing. How did you come to be as a Vocaloid?Only three of the group can guide you to the answer.*Author's Note : This is a choice fiction, and it follows the same format as My Fairy Tale; the choices will be labeled with symbols. Choose one and read the next chapter with the same symbol as your choice before proceeding to read in a normal fashion.Vocaloid doesn't belong to me.Story belongs to me.





	1. Welcome To Vocaloid!

Chapter One : Welcome To Vocaloid!

When she first came to with numerous wires leading from a machine to parts of her body, she was in a dark room with the lights pointed towards her. She remembered first seeing the lights above her head, almost blinding her vision since they were the first things she saw when lying down. She remembered the lights serving as the only bright objects in the room, but their brightness couldn't mask the insecurity she felt from the gazes directed towards her.

She remembered how stiff her body was; how those small sparks of electricity sped up and down her body to comply with her need to move. Some of her joints were not covered up, and they were connected to numerous wires leading to whatever was behind her. The rest of her body that wasn't covered by her clothes was pristine smooth, they shone more than normal human skin did and even her hair . . . They weighed down her head. As if each individual strand contained more than it should have if it were natural.

The wires lengthened themselves when she tried to sit up, and then she felt the oppressing gazes upon her half complete body. Gazes from them reflected the blinding lights back at her until they became spotlights. When their individual eye colors formed a rainbow wall, the intense scrutiny and overbearing silence reminded her of her incomplete condition. Her face would have turned pale if she wasn't artificially made, but the concept of paranoia was present anyway.

"Good morning, E-001."

A stiff but well enunciated voice spoke and its remnants echoed around the room, simultaneously dissolving the wall of light until they scattered in all directions. Where that patronizing voice came from, she had no idea. Her eyes hadn't adjusted enough to see anyone talking to her, but more than that, she hadn't even known that codenames were necessary. Despite her notions, there it was; the bold red ink branded across her clothed chest where her heart should be. Her hand slowly reached up and felt the invisible frame around it, engraving the unfamiliar name into her mind.

_E-001. That's my name._

"You are a Vocaloid, an android whose profession is to entertain clients within the music industry. Any scars and blemishes you acquired from your previous life were removed, but be wary that any wounds inflicted upon you within your adjustment time will remain. Until then, you will be given time to adapt to your new life as a Vocaloid."

While the speech went on, the lights dimmed down and began to light up the room instead of letting her do the sparkling. The outlines of the other living beings in the room were calming down and went back to looking back at her, eager to see how she would react to her surroundings. There were questions floating around in her mind already, but she decided to leave the questions for later and continue listening. She lowered her head as her eyes unfocused in an attempt to boost her concentration.

"You are currently a newly booted up Vocaloid, so your voice and movements may not respond well to your intentions. Please allow some time for them to adjust themselves, and in the meantime you will be paired with an experienced Vocaloid to show you around."

A series of loud whispers floated around the room when the voice paused momentarily, indiscreet enough for her to catch snippets of their hushed questions as well as their eyes that flicked back and forth between her and something else. Most of them were simply wondering who would be paired with her, but some conversations weren't as warm as she expected. She felt very tiny and left out; did they know about her arrival beforehand? If that was so, what did they know about her that she didn't?

"The Vocaloid that will be paired with you is—"

"Can it be you instead, Kaito?"

Someone else spoke over the formal one, which gave away the fact that she was greeted by an android and not a preprogrammed voice. She looked around the room as the whispers grew louder but the mini argument with its echoes drowned them all out, which made her wonder if she was the only one not talking in that situation. When the duo spoke again from wherever they were, no one was taking the situation seriously anymore. Smiles graced the other Vocaloids as their conversation topics switched to the spokespersons instead of her, which caused her nerves to loosen up. Inwardly, she was grateful to whoever diverted their attention. She stood out a little less now because of that.

The previous one was silent for a while before questioning the second speaker.

"Why would it be me?"

"I thought I should voice my opinion, since your eyes have been sending meaningful signals at me for a while now."

"You're just imagining things."

"Then why did you look like you were about to suggest me?"

"I wasn't, I was merely calculating your probability of getting along with her."

"Which means that you really intended to do that?"

"No."

"Yeah sure, he totally intended to suggest you, Piko. You really need a new hobby instead of lounging around this place."

Another unknown voice interrupted the two known as Kaito and Piko. From what she deduced, the two of them must be some type of Vocaloid, since their voices had an inflexible quality that she hadn't noted before. Their banter seemed to separate everything else from their current discussion, while some of the Vocaloids in the room decided that staying around was worthless and left. She had nowhere to go, thus she stayed rooted to the spot.

"Come on, Len! Don't take his side!"

"You were the one who ruined her arrival, you know."

"I'm pretty sure I dissolved the oppressiveness rather than made her uncomfortable."

When it looked as if the speakers named Len and Piko were about to start fighting instead, more of the Vocaloids took their leave while whispering that they wouldn't end for some time. This time, her eyes trailed after them and tried to remember what they looked like. It may serve her well later.

"The arrival of a new Vocaloid is supposed to be a formal event. She deserves the best welcoming no matter what type she is."

"Supposed to, until little Piko here decided that he liked to hear his own voice more than yours."

The voices seemed to be targeting the second spokesperson now. Despite the unfriendly words especially coming from the uptight person known as Kaito, the atmosphere didn't seem to drop. As 'little Piko' and the other two continued their debate, the Vocaloids kept trickling out until there was no one left besides her. When they addressed her again, they were no longer using the system to project their message; instead they sounded very close to her. She turned around to face them now that she knew where they were.

The three people who surrounded her looked nothing alike compared to how comfortable they were when they started the ruckus earlier. The one on the left with short blue hair towered over her with crossed arms, and a long blue scarf wound loosely around his neck. The second one had blonde hair with some of it tied back, and he was a half a head shorter than the former. Both of them were eyeing her curiously, which made self consciousness arise within her.

The third one the same height as the second was all smiles when he took his place on her right. His pure white hair was long enough to be tied back, but instead they were left flowing about his face. There was even a rogue strand of hair forming the shape of a P, she noted. When she was contemplating what to say to these people, he leaned in slightly and his differently colored eyes looked her from head to toe, which unnerved her even more. When her piling nerves twisted her face and opened her mouth for her, she was cut off by the person on the left.

"The one who is paired with you will be Piko, not me."

"You could have just said that straight up, you know. And here I was freaking out over why you suddenly replied to me."

"I wonder who stopped me, then."

From what she gathered from the recipient of those words, the one on her left would be Kaito and the one which white hair would be Piko. Then the one in the middle would be Len. Oblivious to her deduction, the one presumably called Len looked at Piko with a deadpan gaze.

"I'm sure you know as well. Anyway, I'm Len. This white ball of eccentricity is Piko," there was an odd look on Piko's face when he said that, "and on my right is Kaito. He does announcements whenever a new android comes in while Piko visits as it's his favorite hangout spot."

"Whaaat? You disclosed my personal information just like that?"

"Everyone knows that by now. You normally don't care."

"Yeah, well, let me do the honor myself next time! Who knows what other bad things you'd say about me behind my back whenever I'm not around!"

The visitors weren't wrong when they said that a bickering between Piko and Len has a long lifespan. She decided to cut in before their conversation started to wear her out.

"Um . ."

It was a female voice, albeit an artificial one. There wasn't anyone else who looked likely to possess such a robotic voice except for herself, but it worked well enough. The two stopped their chatter immediately when she spoke up, and Kaito continued on.

"Oh, yes. A new Vocaloid's results are always announced after they are assigned their seniors. Yours is an oddity as there is nothing to announce."

"Results?"

Len only nodded, and both he and Kaito turned to look at Piko as he took it upon himself to expound upon the requirements of a Vocaloid.

"What he means is that a candidate must take a few tests to become a Vocaloid. The most important part of kickstarting a new Vocaloid is for your voice provider to ace the singing exam, just getting the minimum marks is not enough. The other tests include flexibility in the physical aspects, composure and so on, but results from those areas don't matter as much because they only decide your duration of training after that voice provider's Vocaloid is produced. That's my task, by the way." Piko gave her a warm smile before encouraging her to ask more.

Vocaloids were made, it seemed. Would that mean that a Vocaloid's entire skill base would ride solely on their respective voice providers? She continued asking more questions as the three enlightened her with infinite patience. This time, Kaito folded his arms and looked down at her with an unreadable expression, his tone of voice as flat as someone who was used to rehearsing an introduction he had zero interest in.

"Precisely, because Vocaloids are, in a way, 'derived' from human singers. We possess the more stilted versions of voices from those human singers, and offer our services to clients who wish to release songs without constantly hiring actual singers. They gave us the voices we have now, and the difference is that ours are inflexible as well as emotionless unless our clients can work around those limits. If we had the exact copy of their voices, they would have to cede the work of singing to us and there would not be as many of us as there are now."

So her job was literally to sing for people. She existed for nothing else other than to sing for other people and there wasn't any choice for her. She pushed away that depressing thought and decided to ask about the results part.

"What did you mean when you said there was nothing to announce about me?"

At her question, Kaito's face changed subtly as well as his posture whereas Piko's was more overt by widening his eyes, presumably in agreement. Len only had a resigned expression, and started explaining in detail.

"As Piko told you, a singer must take tests and the results will be transferred to a Vocaloid. In your case, there was an anomaly; you have no voice provider and yet you are a Vocaloid. It's impossible for a person to become a Vocaloid, so that begs the question of how you came to be."

"Kaito always records information about a voice provider before undergoing tests, and the both of us would know if a record randomly goes missing. Even if a mistake slips past him, I'm always around here to watch over them. One of the many facts about you is that the Vocaloid program just started up with absolutely no record, result nor report and by the time Kaito got around here, you were in the works. The program only starts running if it has results and the information of a voice provider, but in your case there was nothing."

Judging by how Vocaloids were created here, it really did sound implausible for her creation but here she was, a walking proof of an error. It was odd, learning things about herself from strangers and then being expected to fulfill a role where hundreds of her kind were doing the exact same thing. Despite this strength she shared with these people, she was already standing out in a way that was only known between her and the three Vocaloids in this room. It would not be right for her to feel a connection to them with just that secret, but she was feeling it now. The small comfort permitted her curiosity to resurface again.

"I guess no one else other than us is to know about this?" After getting a negative from Len, another question shot out before he could explain any further. "Then why did you complain about who I'm getting paired with?"

"The Vocaloid program has been known to malfunction, but it has never reached such interesting heights before. As you already know, this abnormality preceding your creation is not to be taken lightly. If anyone is to know about this, you would not be given the same treatment you would receive had your conditions not been different from everyone else. In contrast to telling the truth, a dispute over who to pair you with will not rouse as much suspicion."

"What's wrong with people treating me differently?"

"I don't see any reason why Vocaloids have this trend about dividing themselves just because they each have something different about their identity, but in your case they might not be as tolerant as they are to smaller problems. Read, violent. You may not be wary of these things, but Vocaloids only die if they aren't remembered anymore and as such vendettas last a long time."

"If you still aren't, we don't want problems linking back to us just because you can't keep your mouth shut. Just stay quiet about this and you won't be a hassle to deal with."

Len's unusual hostility took her aback but the other two looked at him as if they were used to it. Kaito did not say anything, but Piko reacted by dragging her away. The wires connected to her smoothly slid off and her exposed skin slotted itself back. She was then led out while Piko's insistent tugging prevented her from looking back at the room, and then reflected upon the unusual circumstances of her birth as she tried to get used to her new body.

This Vocaloid life and everything surrounding it was new to her and thus she guessed more questions would arise in the future, but she knew no one could tell her how her life would be with such an uncertain past to define her identity. Until then, she would have to react accordingly to events without disclosing this great secret of hers.


	2. Testing

Chapter Two : Testing

"What do you want me to call you? What name will you take?"

The instant she was out of the room, Piko had led her to a studio. Presumably not to ask her to prove her singing skills, as right now they were on his laptop and looking at a list of names. She was asked to choose a name that they can call her without using her codename, as every Vocaloid has one and some of them don't even have codenames on their body.

According to Piko, her code stood for something but wasn't willing to tell her his guess until he did more research before changing the topic to being about his full name, which was Utatane Piko. He was named after his voice provider who was only known as Piko, and his name meant 'voice of Piko' in black and white. After that, he kept introducing names and was continuously shot down without his mood getting dampened.

She was impressed that he was so chipper almost all the time, and by her judgment their relationship should not run into frequent ruts. If he was going to be this helpful throughout, she might even start adapting to her life much quicker than she had anticipated. Meanwhile, Piko pointed to more and more names and patiently sat through her indecisiveness.

"Hey, Piko?"

"Yeah?" Piko paused through scrolling and focused his attention to her, awaiting her next question.

"Do Vocaloids age?" Piko didn't look older than fourteen, and so did Len. Kaito certainly looked older than that, which brought her to questioning what her own age was. She hadn't had the chance to check a mirror yet, so hopefully she didn't have a face that told everyone she was a child?

At that, her senior started pondering to himself and turned away for a while before perking up again. "We're not actual humans, so our bodies don't grow taller or anything. Some Vocaloids have ages given to them, but not everyone has them. We could choose to be more than thirty if we decide to count from our year of creation, but most don't."

"What about me? Do I have an age?"

"I don't know, actually. We don't know who created you, so you're basically a blank slate. But hey, you get to decide what type of background you want!"

Before she could even say anything, Piko quickly put in an optimistic comment. His excitement was back, and she started to wonder how someone like him can even get along with Len, but then again, opposites attract. Perhaps he would tell her one day. Until then, all she has are trivial curiosities of the world she was living in right now.

"How many Vocaloids are there in this place?"

How about all those who were watching her come alive in that room? What did they experience when they were the ones being built in that room? It was just one of the many questions she had in her mind, but Piko was looking quite stumped on the matter.

"There are quite a lot of them. The records in the program are almost bursting, so I can only guess how many there are. If you're asking about the total amount of people living here, well, there are fanloids that are androids created by our fans, then the Utauloids, so counting all that . . Yup, too much."

"There are other androids as well?"

"Oh, yes! To summarize them all, fanloids are not always officially recognized and Utauloids are just Vocaloids with a different name. To take time explaining them in detail will take up too much time, as we only have a few minutes left before your next session."

"What session?"

"As I said, we don't have time, so that's going to have to wait. Sorry!"

Their chat had taken far more time than both had realized, and Piko was observant enough to reel in the conversation back to where they were supposed to be doing. This time, he decided to check on the equipment while letting her search up names herself. As her finger dragged the list down, good names as well as names that made her wonder why they even existed at all took turns showing up. She began thinking about which name suited her the most as she continued reading them listlessly. Occasionally, the background noise of Piko tinkering with various knobs could be heard whereas she was as quiet as a mouse. Piko would talk sometimes, but then that was the only time there was a different noise.

A few more minutes passed by and she finally came up with a name. She didn't know whether it fit her or not, but anything would be better than having a code to be referred to. Before she could inform Piko about it, he notified her that his session was up, that he was leaving and hoped to know her better.

"You'll be staying in this room for your next mentor. I'm not in charge of tests and all that, but I kinda spent too much time on names so we'll stop here for now. I'll actually show you around when we meet again, so just bear with me for a while. Good luck!"

He left afterwards, leaving his laptop in the room and she busied herself with it while waiting for the next person to come in. While she was in the midst of thinking that Piko's desktop was quite cluttered, the door opened with a click and a tall woman with long cascading hair came in. She greeted her with her codename and then went down to business without bothering to let her ask anything.

"Alright, stand up."

That was the first thing she said that sounded like an order, the greeting itself wasn't but she knew that tone of voice would probably be heard throughout the session. She almost slammed the laptop down before standing up, suddenly afraid of what she would be put through. When she did, the imposing woman looked her up and down as if sizing up her abilities. There was no indication of approval, but a mere flick of her finger in the direction of the studio sent her walking in cautiously. It dawned upon her that this woman was probably here to gauge the results of her test and most likely be training her, but fear set in when she was reminded of Kaito's words earlier.

Her eyes glued to the woman as if searching for a way out, and meanwhile the woman began testing the equipment; adjusting dials and pressing buttons to test their workability. Each of those actions only sent more nervousness coiling around the room, and soon she felt her hands wringing their wrists. She'd be caught soon, she had no test results and had never even sung in her life—

"Okay, here's a sheet. Sing according to the notes."

The woman came in and thrust two sheets of paper at her before moving back to her spot behind the equipment. Her shaking hands took the paper, and five bars filled to the brim with black heads adjoined to tails pointing up and down faced her. What was this sorcery? They weren't anything she could read, and there wasn't even an understandable language written on both the sheets! Her eyes flicked between the papers, pretending to read it while trying to stay professional in front of the impatient woman.

The rhythmic tapping of manicured fingers upon a table outside only served to increase her fear, but nothing could be done. If only the others who knew about her were here to defend her ignorance! She slowly arranged the papers while contemplating how quick she could reach the door in time, when the door itself swung open as if it heard her silent pleading. Her eyes snapped up and saw Piko waltzing in with a smile on his face. Hope surged in that moment as he walked up to the woman.

However, what he said afterwards sent her hope flinging itself straight into the abyss.

"Hey Luka! Just here for my laptop, sorry to intrude!" He picked up his laptop and then promptly left, closing the door behind him and instantly snuffing out any remaining hope she had left. The woman whom he called Luka didn't bat an eyelid at his fleeting presence, but he had irritated the other person in the room.

She suddenly hated his cheerful attitude. Her hands crinkled the sheets of paper unknowingly as anger sprouted within her. He certainly wasn't being helpful right now, so she had to fend for her own. Would the woman consider it alright to take a trip to the washroom?

"Are you done? We don't have all day, you know."

The cold voice dripping with impatience rang through the room and she almost wished she could disappear straight through the ground. What came out of her mouth was quite the opposite, which only supported the fact that she was scared beyond herself.

"Okay. Now sing."

She had half a mind to sing whatever and say that her mind was fried. She looked back at Luka while trying to come up with ways of faking a headache when she heard a knob being twisted the wrong way. Their attention was directed towards the small object rolling away on the ground, earning a shocked face from one and a sigh of relief from the other. As Luka bent down to pick it up, the other buttons that she hadn't touched before started to act up as well. Hearing the noises, no tests would be carried out today. She was saved!

A restrained smile graced her lips, and she couldn't help a full one complete with laughter surface when Luka announced that the test would have to be postponed until someone could fix them. She took the sheets of paper away as well as her leave, with a gleeful girl bearing a lightened heart staying behind to revel in the miracle. Her secret was safe! She had a good guess as to who broke the equipment, and if her guess was confirmed then her detest towards him earlier would be unreasonable.

With nothing else to do and clueless as to whether a new tutor would come in, she skipped out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be going on a hiatus for a while. I have less than 130 days until the exams, and I can't focus on this story for now. I'm sorry.


	3. Someone New

Chapter Three : Someone New

A long corridor with a number of doors flanking them awaited her as soon as she was out of the studio. There was nowhere she was familiar with, and she didn't want to wait for who knows how long for the next event to take place. Right now, she had no idea what she had to do next, or if she was to take another test somewhere around the place and needed someone to lead the way. Her eyes scanned the doors, hoping that she could at least obtain some information on her whereabouts but there was really nothing to take note of. When she walked a little ways away from the studio, she focused on trying to see through the black screens of the doors into the contents inside while mentally counting the number of steps she was taking. The lights above her were making it hard, and she could only see so much when squinting but she figured that would have to do for now. 

Occasionally she would place her hand upon the doors and try to peek inside, but there was only darkness all around. Most of them seemed to be studios in the faint light that Luka didn't try to bring her to, which meant that they might be reserved or Luka was simply doing the bare minimum of her job. She sure didn't want to go through faking again and then risk spilling the beans, so she was still grateful for now. She made a mental note to ask the three for tips on how to get past the tests the next time she saw them again.

She had started on the left side of the corridor earlier and now she was facing a wall. After checking to confirm that there really were just five doors leading to studios, she decided to turn around and check the right side. She retraced her steps but soon found herself in front of a large mahogany door rather than the usual wall that stood for a dead end. There wasn't any sign to indicate that there was anything important in that room, but judging by how large it was it probably held a meeting room of sorts. It made her feel a little left out since there were still so many things that she hadn't known about this world yet, which was what prompted her to place her hand upon the door and push against it. After all, they wouldn't leave her unsupervised if there was anything to hide from her, wouldn't they?

When the expectedly heavy door allowed her a tight space to squeeze through, a bluish light together with a cold gust of air was released and she even caught a whiff of a sickening metallic odor. She wanted to shut the door immediately and then pretend her imagination wasn't showing her gory things behind it, but what stopped her in her tracks was the large machine thing planted in the middle of the room. She hadn't expected any clandestine information to be behind an unlocked door, and she certainly hadn't wanted to intrude upon someone's privacy either. 

The mechanism was connected to a seemingly young Vocaloid ( at least what she assumed was a Vocaloid since there were wires leading from him to the machine ), with the same blue lights coursing between the two.  
His body was positioned horizontally with short blond hair strewn about his head. His rags for clothes were in the process of reparation, and if she focused carefully she could've sworn they were growing back with 0's and 1's acting as blueprints. They didn't manage to cover up the grotesque mapping that made up his body beneath the skin, and the messy sight of wires glinting with lights made her comprehend how she herself was created. Was she like this boy too, with artificial objects serving as her joints and even her clothes being made from computerized fibers? 

"L . .Lenka . . Is t-that you?"

A voice with weak enunciation rasped from that barely fixed mouth, followed by one beady eye opening and then focusing onto her. Some of the wires slunk away as he started to talk. Was he conscious all along? He may had been aware from the start, but he wasn't able to detect the person who happened to be here as her name certainly wasn't Lenka. Lenka was probably another Vocaloid. .

When he didn't receive a reply, he spoke again with clearer enunciation and less familiarity. The atmosphere tensed a little as she felt herself stiffen.

"Hey. . . Wait."

It wasn't a command, his words hadn't sounded anything unlike a simple favor but they rooted her to the spot as if she had been possessed by an invisible force. Reluctantly, she tilted her head and surveyed the room again for any irregularity but found none. The scene wasn't as deep a blue as it had previously been, as if the machine had paused its work as soon as the boy was awake. Everything else was the same as before if she could ignore the wires poised beside him, waiting to reattach themselves and continue their work. If it had emotions, it would probably be reeking of impatience and she would be the main offender. She tried to ignore it and instead focused on the other person in the room.

His left eye was red, that she could tell. From her position at the door, she could only make out that it was flashing at her with no animosity contained within. She knew that it wasn't red when when she first looked at his eyes, but there it was, a warm contrast to the uninviting cold sea of light emanating to the space between them.  
The boy shakily raised an arm in her direction. The wires on his arm detached and joined the others beside the bed, which prompted red to glow brighter than blue. She was sure that the situation wouldn't turn hostile, but his next message was what brought back the loneliness in the room.

"Don't let . . Lenka see you . ."

His arm returned to his side as his eyes lost focus. They fluttered shut, and the wires closest to his arm reattached themselves again. The red that had previously seared through the room was now dimmed and diminished once the wires reattached themselves, draining any hope of questioning. Once the boy had fully fallen asleep, his visitor gingerly paced away from the room and closed the heavy door behind her.

Once she was out of the room, the minimalistic corridor greeted her again with its many identical doors. The girl looked back through the door, to the sleeping boy behind it as if the answer to why she and Lenka shouldn't meet would be voiced through it. It was a pity that she hadn't been quick enough to question him before their conversation was cut off. Who was Lenka, and why should she avoid her? It wouldn't do to start having enemies when she had barely gone through her first day here, and they didn't even know each other! What was she supposed to do?

She had questions. Many, many questions, but with no one to give her the answers.


	4. A Trip Back

Chapter Four : A Trip Back

A past consisting of coincidences, a secret nestled deep within, and a simple request. She pondered upon the details of her life in its current state before deciding that she should find something to do now. 

Her gaze traveled up the door but was torn away. She had been looking at the corridor and the door now but wasn't sure of what her objective would be. It wasn't as if she had one when she first set foot into that boy's room, but at least she had gotten something out of it. The studios were all the same as the one she had entered before, except for one certain malfunctioning one. Just as she was considering the idea of checking each individual studio, a beautiful girl with long blonde hair came by and upon meeting eyes, she flounced towards her. They exchanged greetings, but soon the girl's eyes started to rake her up and down and soon settled upon her face. Her eyes were more like an appraiser's than a mere acquaintance, and soon she bent down below her height in the same exaggerated motion.

". . . You . . You aren't very flashy, are you?"

She started, eyes now fixated upon her left breast. 

"Is something wrong with that?"

Hopefully nothing was wrong. The first time she took in the sweeping mass of androids after her awakening, one of the traits that made them stand out despite being part of an audience were their eye-catching clothes if not their hair. Some of them were wearing sailor uniforms; others sported detached sleeves and bright neon hair. Even Kaito had managed to leave an impression through his outfit alone although it could be categorized as one of the most normal.

She unknowingly looked down at her own. Her clothes now were just what she liked to wear and the color of her hair was its own color, she didn't have it for the express purpose of wanting to match her outfit. If she was expected to dress like this girl, then she may need to divest herself of comfort and embrace some diversity instead. 

The girl drew back suddenly, as if she had just noticed that her opinion had slipped out on its own. After convincing herself through mumbles of 'new' and 'eventually', she then asked another question with a smile on her face.

"What's your code?"

Code. Not her name. Code.  
She may not have meant to be rude, but just those three words were enough to irritate her. She had just picked a name, and instead of being asked that she was asked to give her code. It should be for some formal procedure, right? 

"E-001."she replied.

"E-001? The newly booted up Vocaloid?"

"Yeah."

Word sure traveled fast. She couldn't remember each distinct face that had passed her vision within this day, so she didn't recall this girl at all. She and this girl might have just met just now or she may had been known previously, but she'll get to know them all soon. She tried to dispel her first impression of her, there should be more to her personality than the surface.

"If you're E-001, then Kaito wants to see you. You know who he is, right?"

After delivering her message, the girl half-turned and walked back through the corridor with a small bounce in her steps. Before she had taken three steps away, she turned back to her companion with a look and soon the two of them fell into step together, the tacit exchange received by the latter. As they walked silently for a while, her attention focused upon the young girl's demeanor and tried to decipher her intentions despite knowing that there weren't any observations that suggested any discrepancies.  
Her movements were more restrained than before, which made the other wonder if it was an implication that she had another test to take. It was best to be prepared, but she did hear that Kaito wanted to meet her. If she was meant to be under someone else's supervision, then she would have good reason to be nervous, but Kaito? He knew about her handicap, so was there anything she should know beforehand?

"What did Kaito want to see me for? Do I have another test to take?"

"I'm guessing that he wants to check up on you."

The answer wasn't far off from what she expected, but not clear cut either. By 'checking up', she could mean that Kaito intended to give her tips on how she should act to blend in with her environment and had used that excuse, or that Kaito just happened to be her supervisor for the next test. Whatever it was, she was relieved to know that she could expect a familiar face to guide her through this life. At least for this short amount of time, she would not be put on the spot by Luka or other Vocaloids again.

Silence reigned between them except for their soles clicking on the ground. The sound echoed between the corridors, but it failed to create conversations for them. She found it surprising how the girl had looked so bouncy and active earlier and now she had left her to ponder about her findings instead of being remotely curious about her. If she was quiet about her, did that mean that Vocaloids were created every day? Were they so common that a stranger's face was just another sight in this odd place? 

" . . Um . ."

Now the questions she had previously suppressed before were floating back up the the surface and demanding to be voiced. If she wasn't reaching her destination that quickly, then she can bear to alleviate them a little, couldn't she?

"Yes?"

"Hey . . What are the tests I'm expected to take?"

Piko did explain things to her, she remembered that she was supposed to take the singing test first and it was sidetracked soon after. There was the flexibility test, composure, and some that she hadn't known about, so what should she be expecting?

The girl looked back with a different face than before. Their movements slowed and she could see her thoughts chasing each other across her face. Seeing her serious posture, a speck of suspicion arose and she briefly considered asking her if she was a different person around certain people.

"You might have tests to make sure your body can bear sudden changes in posture. If you haven't taken your singing test yet, then it will be put on hold."

"What can I expect from the second test?"

"Expect to be taken apart, I guess. If your body parts don't correspond to your movements, then there's possibly something wrong with your body."

Taken apart? Like that boy?  
She imagined the blue and red room, and the boy within the colorful sea. Then she imagined herself seated right in front of the machine, its wires poised just beside and waiting to plunge into her. 

She felt cold all of a sudden.

"What about that room?"

"What room?"

"The room with large doors . ."

She didn't know how else to call it. She felt like she shouldn't mention anything about being inside it or even knowing about the boy beyond those doors. It hadn't been furnished at all, which suggested that it wasn't a place where people congregated often. Had she really intruded after all? 

"Oh, you mean the room you were standing in front of before?" The girl's eyes widened in understanding.

"Yeah."

"It's a place where broken androids go to be repaired."

That much she gathered from being inside that place just a few moments ago. If she couldn't tell before, an android was being taken apart there and the wires connected to his body were enough proof. Was there anything else to it?

"Is there anyone in there right now?"

She knew she was lying. If lying wasn't her forte, it would be soon. She couldn't see any suspicion in the girl's eyes for asking about its current occupants rather than about the details of repairing an android, so she probably wouldn't be found out this early.

"Oh, Rinto's in there."

Rinto. That boy's name was Rinto.

"For repairing?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Apparently his body couldn't function well." 

"Why?"

"He got into an accident some time ago."

The more she prodded, the more curt the girl became. Her gentle movements were more purposeful and their walk hastened, which bled into their conversation too. Their next words melted on the tip of their tongues and then the walk throughout became silent. It stayed like that until they reached their destination.

~

She was back at this room again, and was now staring up at the door whereas her companion stared at her instead as if expecting her to walk in and end their brief acquaintance. She could hurry and make sure her next words wouldn't step on anyone's toes, but she couldn't help turning back to her.

"Thanks . ."

"Lenka. I'm Lenka."

No other words were exchanged, and soon she walked away the way she came without a gesture of goodbye. The atmosphere became tense as soon as she left, leaving a startled girl feeling lighter and heavier all at the same time the further she went.


	5. Second Test

Chapter Five : Second Test

The instant she was alone in the corridor, she had hurried ahead to the room in front of her. She didn't want to ascertain how narrowly she had missed the bullet, and she didn't want to stay around and bite it if Lenka was implied to be hostile by Rinto. They did just talk, and nothing had happened between them throughout their brief conversations. Was it out of luck, or was Rinto wrong? There was too little time to gather proof or information, and now wasn't the time to do that either.

It had barely been a day, and here she was, back at her place of birth. When she first woke up and was unofficially recognized ( by too few androids ) as one of them, she had thought that operating her own body wasn't going to be something that she could get used to within one day, and now she was getting through and adapting to its currently clunky gears and the whizzing sounds from her joints. It was disconcerting that she hadn't been conscious of these little things the instant she started experiencing nervousness and relief, and now they were louder than anything else she had been thinking about during her short time away from this room.  
Were they normal? She wanted it to be normal, she didn't want to go through the process Lenka just mentioned. She didn't want to be deprived of her limbs and left helpless on whatever surgery table Rinto was lying on when she first met him.

When another pair of footsteps approached to greet her, her head snapped in their direction and found out they weren't Kaito's. It was Piko, walking around the corner with a smile. His face was glittering with innocence as if he didn't just call her here using Kaito's name instead of his own. She wondered if he and Kaito were coworkers, hence the reason why it was him greeting her in Kaito's stead. 

"Hey! I'm glad we got to meet so soon after your first test! How was it?" 

"Nerve wracking. Why did you call me here?"

"I just remembered that you shouldn't be left to fend for yourself. What kind of senior would I be if I did that?" Piko's reply was so carefree that it made his junior wonder if the other tests would be even harder than the first. 

Oh no.

She was ready to thank Lady Luck for even managing to get the singing test out of the way and now here was someone implying that the other tests will be even more invading than the previous test. She had just barely scraped by, what kind of elaborate craftiness should she resort to once their turn came around?

Piko made a gesture of curling his index finger before walking off, inviting her to follow him somewhere. She did, and soon they were walking up a flight of stairs positioned just out of view into the control room. She presumed it was one, as there were many screens and files tucked in a way that brought out coziness instead of formality. Most of the screens were off, and the only one that was still operating was on the very left. From the corner of her eye, it seemed to be a table of sorts.

Piko didn't bother making any space for her to sit since there was only one office chair in front of the screens. He didn't sit either, he just made his way over to the only operating computer and then scrolled down the empty list. Once he was done, he turned around and looked at her properly. She couldn't help but notice that the brightness from the computer had outlined his equally white hair, thus making his profile darker than usual. His heterochromic eyes glowed in contrast to the shadow cast over him.

"So, let's start with your second test. I hope you'll feel a little better than I'm the supervisor this time."

He instructed her to swing her left arm and then hold a few more poses with it. Despite the fact that he was her supervisor, she still felt as if she was doing favors for a close friend. They chatted a bit, although it mostly consisted of Piko asking her how she was doing. Shortly after three more poses, he keyed in something into the table before returning his attention to her arm. 

"I'm sorry I got sidetracked that time." She watched him bend it before repeating the same action to her adjoining wrist after confirming that her left shoulder was fine. 

She hadn't been focused on the test since it didn't feel like as if she was being heavily scrutinized. There wasn't anything to be nervous about at all, since she had met him before knowing about anyone else hence more familiarity between them. In this strange environment, he was the one who had acted most like a friend than the others that she had come to know shortly after their meeting. If there was anything he was apologizing for, it would be him leaving her to dry in the studio with Luka.

"No, it's fine. Luka didn't hound me for it," she replied. He did break the studio equipment in the end, which was ultimately what got her out of impending trouble.

"Really?" 

"Yeah. There wasn't any way to get out of it otherwise."

"Speaking of which, what name did you pick?" He was checking her fingers individually without showing signs of jitters from being the object of scrutiny.

"I chose __________. No one's asked my name yet, though."

"__________? Hmm, it suits you." He paid extra attention to her pinky after finding out that it wasn't bending as easily as its companions. The surprise in her last sentence was a little delayed, and when it reached him his response was to stop and stare at her with wide eyes. His hands stilled on her left.

"What? No one's done that yet?"

"No. I'm glad you asked." 

It was odd how his eyes never seemed to hold her to anything before, yet after hearing those words his gaze started containing hints of disbelief. It wasn't such a big deal to say it, but judging by his unusual response it suggested that he had different sides, or this android society had different sides. Sensing that she was judging her only amiable friend, she pulled the reins back while Piko collected himself and then started a rough check through her entire arm again.  
After the silent ritual of update and proceed, he gave her the same instructions for her right shoulder. His eyes this time were focused, and not on her face.

"Piko, was I supposed to get a name first, or was I supposed to be briefed on my tests?"

"You were supposed to be briefed, but I really did not know how to proceed seeing your condition. Sorry again, by the way."

"It's fine. Why didn't the androids I met ask for my name?"

"They probably thought I hadn't met you yet. Since none of them are responsible for you, it would have crossed their minds to refer to you by your code."

No wonder Lenka commented about her clothes first and then asked for her code instead of greeting her. Lenka didn't think of her as a Vocaloid, instead she was seen as a newbie with no sense of identity. She remembered her eyes, eyes that had reflected a mannequin instead of a soul. 

Unwittingly, Piko's eyes filled her mind. A short comparison showed her who was bound to be more favored if this kept up.

"Are Vocaloids commonly produced here?"

"No. It doesn't happen every day."

Silence ensued except for the occasional creak and hinge from her right shoulder. Now that she thought about it, her shoulder was the only component making sounds. Piko's hands had moved languidly when he was checking her left arm, and even when he occasionally switched his position to have a better judgment, his movements made no noise. She watched her arm fold and straighten, then watched her fingers do the same. After that, it was her torso and her neck.

"Oh, right. Piko, what should I do during my next tests?"

Since the flexibility test was underway, then it would be composure next. If Piko was her senior, then could she expect him to give her some procedures to expect in Kaito's stead?

"I don't think you need to do anything. I've talked over this with Kaito, and our consensus is to fake your results."

"Does that mean that I won't have to act like I know what I'm doing?

"No."

This was pleasing news. _________ mentally rejoiced while she was twisting her right ankle just enough to not hurt herself. Piko and Kaito really weren't going to leave her to act on her toes, she would be free! She trusted that the two of them knew what to do to make it work, so there was nothing to worry about anymore.

"While we're on the topic, you have a few days' time to digest this information."

"Digest? What's there to digest?"

"I mean that we have to act like you're still adjusting. Alongside that, we'll have to plan a lot of stories for your nonexistent tests. We don't want to gather suspicion since it would be bad if they get out." Piko reminded her.

In her relief, she had forgotten that they couldn't just make up a story and some numbers and expect to fool everyone with them. They still needed a foundation to hide it before it was ingrained into everyone's minds. She had no choice but to have a hand in it, or else she'd risk being an outcast from the start.

"Exactly how much time will I have?"

" . . . Let's allocate two months."

"Two months? That long?"

"Yeah." Piko was recording the results this time, during which he started explaining without being prompted. "New Vocaloids are allocated a certain amount of time to undergo their tests. The time given will shorten or lengthen based on how eager or problematic said Vocaloid is, and during that time period they will be focused entirely on tests and getting along with their seniors."

From what new information she had learned, it would be safe to presume that appointments preceded the tests and thus the long time period; her time with Luka may have had been confirmed without her knowledge. She was not exempt from this rule, so she would be seeing Piko and her sort-of instructors quite often in the future. 

Actually, who else knew about her secret other than Len and Kaito? Did this mean that her circle of friends would be limited to an actual friend, a grouch and an icicle? From the superficial interaction they've had had, they didn't look like they were that willing to help her with her condition. Len would probably be uncooperative, and Kaito . . He would probably do the bare minimum and would only help if she specifically asked.

"During that time, you'll need time to discuss what story would suit you best with Len, Kaito or me."

Well, her suspicions were confirmed. Right now, she would rather go with Piko but it would not help her much with blending in with society. If she was a Vocaloid, then she would have to act like one if she didn't want to be found out. Even if someone spilled the beans, she would at least be accepted and not hated by everyone around her. 

"With that, that concludes your flexibility test!"

She hadn't even been aware that all of her limbs and joints were checked and in working order. It seemed like she had been too caught up in pondering about her future rather than the durability of her body. When Piko announced the end, she exhaled a little heavier than usual. There wouldn't be any more examinations now, so she could put all her focus into securing a fictional past.  
Piko saved the now completely filled table before telling her about the results.

"There isn't anything wrong with your body, just a minor stiffness in your left pinky. Since it isn't something that can hinder your movement, you can choose to accept it or you can have it fixed."

"Will I be taken apart if I choose to fix it?"

"It depends. If it's just a malfunctioning gear, then there wouldn't be any need. If the problem originated from somewhere other than your hand itself, then yes."

" . . . I'd like to fix it." 

She hoped that the problem would not prove itself to be the latter. Even if it wasn't, she should still have it fixed as soon as possible to prevent any inconveniences, however minor, for the long run. Surely she wouldn't need to be operated on since it was just a finger. It wasn't of such a scale as Rinto's, after all.  
Piko nodded, and then he led her away from the room. He started talking while they were on their way down the stairs.

"Since we'll have time while patching you up, whose place do you want to crash at? Preferably someone who's in on this secret, that is."

"What? I thought I was supposed to keep a low profile?"

"It would be contradictory if a new Vocaloid doesn't have a temporary place to call her own during her free time, right?"

Oh, she needed a place to hide while she was supposed to be undergoing the normal procedure for a normal Vocaloid, not an extraordinary one. She did have a few problems at hand, though, mainly if she would be bothering if she chose to live in someone else's house. The other—  
The enquiries were silenced when Piko placed his hand on her shoulder. They just so happened to be in front of the machine in the middle of the room, which did not feel as helpful as it was probably meant to be. When they met eyes, he had a reassuring smile on his face.

"I'm your senior, remember? I'll be around to help if something's amiss."

The wires descended on their own without any buttons being pressed. As she held up her left arm, she started to weigh the pros and cons of living in either a Vocaloid's ( namely Len's ) house, or staying near her birthplace with Piko and Kaito around. She would not need to worry about any unwanted visitors here, but she'd at least know more about her world by staying at Len's place and thus adjust faster before she was set free to do as she pleased. As she tried not to watch the wires work their magic, her mouth opened of their own volition when Piko's unwavering eyes pressured her to hurry.

"I'd like to . ."

← Visit Len's place!  
→ Stay here!


End file.
